A Comparative Study of Static, Scrollytelling, and Chatbot Visualization Onboarding Techniques for UX Designers
2026-07-03 • Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer InteractionComputers and Society
AI summaryⓘ
The authors studied how UX designers learn to make better data visualizations by testing three teaching methods: static images, interactive scrolling stories (scrollytelling), and chatbots. They found that interactive methods helped designers follow guidelines better and were more engaging, though understanding was similar across all methods. Participants liked the interactive ways more, but scrollytelling and chatbots worked about the same. The authors also highlighted key design features for teaching visualization, like story structure and navigation options.
User Experience (UX) DesignData VisualizationVisualization LiteracyOnboarding TechniquesScrollytellingChatbotGuideline AdherenceComprehensionEngagementInstruction Clarity
Authors
Ester Chen, Aboli Shete, Aditya Anavekar, Roshan Peiris, Hidy Kong
Abstract
User experience (UX) designers face barriers when creating data visualizations due to limited domain expertise in visualization or unfamiliarity with specialized tools. This highlights a clear need for effective methods to build visualization literacy. To address this, we evaluated three visualization onboarding techniques -- static, scrollytelling, and chatbot -- in an experimental study with 25 UX designers and students. We measured visualization comprehension and guideline adherence during a visualization creation task, followed by surveys and interviews to capture preferences and experiences. Compared to static onboarding, the pooled interactive condition (scrollytelling or chatbot) was associated with significantly higher guideline-adherence scores during visualization creation; both interactive techniques also received higher engagement ratings. Instruction clarity ratings were significantly higher when the two interactive conditions were pooled. Comprehension did not differ significantly across conditions. While participants generally preferred the interactive techniques, no significant differences emerged between scrollytelling and chatbot in performance or onboarding experience ratings. Drawing on the findings, we discuss three design dimensions of visualization onboarding (narrative structure, visual content layout, and navigational flexibility), their design implications, and potential opportunities for future research in this field.